After several years of demonstrating its gasification technology, Plasco Energy Group is on the road to full-scale commercialization in Canada’s capital city.
Plasco Energy Group Inc. is a technology company based in Ottawa. The company’s conversion technology is positioned as a sustainable solution designed to help communities achieve their landfill diversion and renewable energy goals. Plasco recovers high value from non-recyclable waste and reduces the negative impact waste has on the environment.
More than $390 million of equity capital has been committed to Plasco since 2005 and approximately $250 million has been invested to date in developing the company’s conversion technology and building the market.
Plasco’s business model is to finance, build, own and operate all facilities. Together with its partners, Plasco takes on all risk for financing, developing and operating Plasco Conversion Facilities.
Plasco Trail Road (PTR)
Plasco Trail Road is believed to be the only operating commercial-scale conversion facility in the world that converts municipal solid waste (MSW) into a consistent syngas that fuels GE Jenbacher engines to generate electricity.
Plasco entered into a partnership with the City of Ottawa, Canada, in April 2006 for the construction of the commercial-scale demonstration facility. Construction was completed in July 2007 and the facility began processing Ottawa’s garbage in January 2008.
Plasco Trail Road was constructed to:
- demonstrate Plasco’s proprietary technology at a commercial scale to customers and investors;
- produce environmental performance data that is significantly lower than existing emission standards in leading jurisdictions; and
- validate Plasco’s operating costs and net energy production efficiency;
Plasco Trail Road has demonstrated economic viability of Plasco Conversion Facilities based on revenues from net electricity produced and fees for accepting waste for processing.
On Oct. 24, 2011, the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE) issued permanent operation permits for PTR. Plasco received the permanent permits after a three-year demonstration period and an Environmental Assessment Screening Process mandated by the province of Ontario that included public consultation.
Plasco Energy Group worked collaboratively with local and provincial levels of the Canadian government to develop rules for permitting an innovative technology. This process involved an extensive public outreach program including public meetings, City Council presentations, community events and government agency consultation. Through this approach, Plasco Trail Road was granted temporary demonstration permits in 2008 that specified more stringent air emission regulations than existing standards.
Plasco received majority approval by Ottawa City Council for the construction of the demonstration facility. The company also achieved over 85 percent favorable public opinion via an independent third-party public polling survey.
The Plasco Process
MSW enters the conversion chamber, where the waste is converted into a crude synthetic gas (syngas) using recycled heat. The crude syngas that is produced flows to the refinement chamber where plasma torches are used to refine the gas.
Now refined, the syngas is sent through a Gas Quality Control Suite to remove sulfur, remove acid gases and segregate heavy metals found in the waste stream. The result is a clean, energetic syngas created from the conversion of waste.
The syngas is used to fuel internal combustion engines that efficiently generate electricity. Waste heat recovered from the engines is combined with waste heat recovered from cooling the syngas in a Heat Recovery Steam Generation (HRSG) unit to produce steam. The steam can either be used to generate additional electricity using a turbine (combined cycle generation), or it can be used for industrial processes or district heating (cogeneration).
The solid residue from the conversion chamber is sent to a separate high temperature Carbon Recovery Vessel (CRV) equipped with a plasma torch where the solids are melted. Plasma heat is used to stabilize the solids and convert any remaining volatile compounds and fixed carbon into crude syngas. This additional crude syngas is fed back into the conversion chamber. Any remaining solids are then melted into a liquid slag and cooled into small slag pellets. The slag pellets are an inert vitrified residue sold as construction aggregate. Leachability tests have been conducted on slag emerging from the process and have confirmed the slag does not leach and is non-toxic.
The entire process is continuously monitored by a proprietary control system that ensures sufficient syngas stability to fuel internal combustion engines regardless of the variations in the energy content of the MSW.
Commercial Results
In December 2011, Ottawa’s City Council approved a 20-year contract with Plasco for a commercial waste conversion facility. This facility will have the capacity to convert 150,000 metric tons per year of Ottawa’s non-recyclable waste into green power and other valuable products. It is expected to have a throughput of 128,000 metric tons per year.
The city’s significant support led to a 22 to 1 city council vote in favor of the Plasco Conversion Facility. This was achieved through Plasco’s collaborative approach, commitment to open and transparent communication, and careful attention to risk management.
On December 15, 2011, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson remarked, “Back in 2005 Plasco set out to prove its potential with a demonstration plant. The company also set out to prove to the ministry of the environment that very low emission levels could be achieved. Finally, they set out to prove that they could get investors to build a full commercial plant without a capital contribution from the city.”
Watson continued, “Today, Plasco has grown from 8 people to more than 150 employees all here in Ottawa. This company has attracted more than $250 million in new investment in Ottawa since the city first sat down to consider a joint venture opportunity.”
To address key concerns from various stakeholders, Plasco focused on the following:
- leveraging credibility of top quality investors;
- developing relationships with strong strategic partners for key execution roles;
- eliminating scale-up risk through the Plasco Trail Road operation and demonstration;
- mitigating construction and completion risk through an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) wrap;
- contracting creditworthy long-term feedstock and power off-take contracts; and
- engaging the public to communicate project details and address questions.
Innovative thermal technologies are steadily advancing toward commercialization as communities like the City of Ottawa recognize the need for superior waste management solutions.
As conversion technologies become part of integrated municipal waste management programs, communities around the world will benefit from sustainable, efficient solutions that reduce negative impacts on the environment and our health.
This article was submitted by Plasco Energy Group based in Ottawa. More information is available at www.plascoenergygroup.com.